Donald Trump is claiming that White South Africans are being persecuted by the Black-led government in South Africa. However, multiple reports now state that the information is false, and more South Africans are now returning to the country.
After the white minority rule ended in 1994, many white South Africans chose to move abroad. One such example is Andrew Veitch, who left the country in 2003 and shifted to California, U.S. After living in the country for more than two decades, he has decided to return to his homeland.
Veith stated that he left South Africa because of crime; however, now he feels unsafe in the U.S. and faces discrimination frequently. “People are being shot in broad daylight. American citizens are being shot and killed. I don’t want to live in a place like this,” Veith said.
Living In Fear News:
White South Africans feel threatened with mass shootings in public places plus violence & corruption by state officials
“I don’t want to live in a place like this” said one,
family returning to a better safer life… in South Africa!https://t.co/D64ETfYSMi
— @ColinStamp.bsky.social (@ColinStamp) March 11, 2026
While Immigration policies are a trending topic under Trump’s administration, his officials have justified firing the shots that resulted in the death of two U.S. citizens in January.
Like many white South Africans, Veith is also planning to move back to the country. On the other hand, Trump, according to Reuters, made comments on how the Black government has an upper hand over the whites in South Africa.
During his second term in office in 2025, Trump tweeted about the victimisation of South Africans, which took place when he was serving the office for the first time. Hence, to make things right, in his second term, he issued an unprecedented executive order. He cut down the US foreign assistance, but decided to show hostility by providing refugee status to Afrikaners (Dutch-descended settlers).
According to The Guardian, in May 2026, he invited South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, sharing with him that he feels there is a “persecution or genocide going on.”
As a response to Trump’s statement, Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, cleared the air, suggesting that there are no evidence of persecution or discrimination against the white population.
While Veith wants to leave the U.S. because of crime, job discrimination, and public shootings, living as a white in South Africa also comes with certain cons. But, as per statistics mentioned by The Guardian, crimes against white South Africans are way less than those against Black citizens. Moreover, there is a job scarcity in the country. However, many white South Africans are using the Remote Work culture to keep their jobs and work from SA.
Trump says white South Africans are persecuted; some are returning to a better life
https://t.co/qdUjRKrahZ pic.twitter.com/whb8urGWpd
— Polity.org.za (@PolityZA) March 11, 2026
As a result of the situation, around 15,000 South Africans returned to their native land in 2022. Additionally, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber shared that 1000 people have already reclaimed their citizenship, and the number is likely to rise.
“There is definitely a sense of optimism for South Africans abroad,” said Schreiber. He is a part of the white-led Democratic Alliance party that has ruled in coalition with the African National Congress since 2024. Moreover, he is also one of the returnees who lived in the US and Germany before returning in 2016.
